trastevere italy

I would check the city center first to see if you can find something. Use venere.com for hotels in the pantheon, trevi and navona areas. Donna

If you do want to walk everywhere, I would look around Navona/Pantheon area. But I wouldn't consider Trastevere the boondocks! It's probably the quaintest part of Rome, with still being in the historic center...in fact, I will be living there for 3 months this fall! And yes, there are a ton of affordable places to eat and drink in every neighborhood. Check out RS's suggestions! Trastevere is perhaps the best neighborhood for these places! Look at vrbo.com, airbnb.com, or romanreference.com for apts. September is still high season, so prices will be higher.

Anna, I wouldn't consider Trastevere to be "the boondocks". It's a beautiful and vibrant area, but doesn't have the same quantity of public transportation options as staying in the Termini area. There are Trams available though, so it is possible to get around. Some of the small Cafés in that area are wonderful, but whether they're "affordable" depends to some extent on personal opinion. One Hotel you might try is www.casasangiuseppe.it/index.php It's in a very convenient location and the staff are wonderful. I'd normally suggest using the RS Italy Guidebook for information on Hotels in various parts of Rome, however given your location I realize that may not be possible. If you're going to be taking a Laptop or Netbook, you could possibly download the free Kindle Reader and then download the E-book version of the Guidebook? One important point to mention though. September is not far away, so it would be a REALLY good idea to get accommodations locked-down as soon as possible! I started booking my Rome Hotel in about March or April. Happy travels!

The northern part of Trastevere is just across the river from the major tourist sites. Use Google maps to figure distances. That said, I would suggest staying more in the triangle formed by Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Navona and the Forum, if you really want to be centrally located. And if you're looking for lodging that costs up to 200E per day, then you won't have any trouble at all finding plenty of affordable places to eat. Happy travels.

how do I download the kindle e guide book?

Anna, The first thing you'll need to do is download the appropriate free Kindle Reader for the type of computer or Reader you're using. Have a look at this web link: www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sa_menu_karl3?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771 Next you'll need to download the book from the Amazon website. In order to do that, you'll need to set-up an Amazon account and provide a credit card. I'm assuming that service is available in Australia? Here's the link: www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=rick+steves+italy+2011&x=0&y=0&sprefix=rick+steves+italy+2011 Depending on where you'll be visiting in Italy, the Italy 2011 would probably be the best choice. I have several of Rick's Guidebooks loaded on both my iPod Touch and Netbook, and download is extremely fast! Using them on an iPod Touch is a bit awkward but it's surprisingly not bad once you get used to it. Using the Netbook is of course much easier, but not shirt pocket size. I may buy a few more once the 2012 editions are released, as they're much easier to pack around in E-book format. You can see which titles are available in E-book format at this site: www.ricksteves.com/books/update/ebooks.htm Hope it works for you!

wow thank you so much!!Trying to follow your directions Ken!

Anna, Trastevere is a great place to stay, and public transportation is good. There are mini-buses, regular buses, and trams. You should have no problem getting across the river by public transportation. You'll find tons of places to eat there, as well.

I am a Californian living in Melbourne Australia for 14 years.
If anyone needs info on the land downunder don't hesitate to ask!

Anna, for transportation into Trastevere and how convenient it is, you might read this article: The #8 Tram in Rome. And for some options on housing, here's a post on the Best-Ranked Hotels and B&B's in Trastevere by venere and booking.com guests. We LOVE Trastevere and your 16 year old daughter would probably want to move in there! Many of our younger friends live there - and it has many college-age Americans residing there because of the colleges and cheaper rents. The food is great and the cafes are packed until 2 AM and later. It is a vibrant area - Good luck on your decision!